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Emerging economies outpace G7 on tackling climate
change
The world's main developing economies, including India and China,
cut emissions associated with the generation of each dollar of GDP
- known as carbon intensity - by 1.7 per cent this year. Meanwhile,
the G7's developed economies only cut their carbon intensity by 0.2
per cent. The figures come from the latest Low Carbon Economy Index
from consultancy PwC. It shows the world is currently on track for
three degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, Reuters reports. If the world wants to
keep to its two degrees goal, carbon intensity must be cut by 6.2
per cent, PwC says. Annual carbon intensity is currently being cut
by about 1.2 per cent per year.
Financial Times
Climate and energy news
Fracking's Wastewater, Poorly Understood, Is
Analyzed for First Time
The toxicity of waste water from fracking varies
significantly well by well, new research shows. The study analyses
the chemical composition of a waste product from shale gas
extraction known as produced water. The waste is controversial as
anti-fracking protesters claim it can contaminate local water
supplies. The research finds that produced water is less toxic than
waste from coal bed methane mining, but results are inconsistent
across the samples. The study's lead author says more research is
needed but the initial results suggest the environmental impact of
produced water "was not quite as bad as we thought."
Inside Climate News
Activists promise biggest climate march in
history
Eight cities are planning simultaneous climate marches in
what organisers claim will be the largest climate protest ever
seen. The marches will occur on September 23rd to coincide with UN
Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's climate summit. The secretary
general hopes the meeting will boost efforts to reach a global deal
on cutting greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2015.
Guardian
Britain rises up rankings of climate-friendly
generation
Britain has risen up a ranking of countries' climate
policies, compiled by consultancy PwC. It shows Britain's carbon
intensity - annual emissions divided by a country's GDP - fell by
4.8 per cent compared to a year before. The drop was the largest of
any G20 country other than Australia, which experienced significant
reduction in demand alongside a rise in hydropower
generation.
Financial Times
Could a healthy diet speed up global
warming?
Greenhouse gas emissions could rise by 12 per cent if
American's follow the US government's advice on eating more
healthily, new research shows. Eating less meat and more fruit and
dairy could have a detrimental impact on the environment if
people's daily calorie intake remains the same, it says. If people
reduce their intake to 2,000 calories a day, as the government also
suggests, emissions would only fall one per cent. The researchers
say their work doesn't discourage healthy eating, but highlights
how policymakers overlook environmental concerns when designing
such guidelines.
Mail Online
NGOs "optimistic" for chances of a climate
deal
Greenpeace, WWF, Christian Aid, Green Alliance and the RSPB
say there are "strong reasons for optimism" over the potential for
a new international climate change deal next year. The group has
published its views in a new report outlining what they think a new
agreement could look like. It calls for governments to sign up to
"rolling targets" to cut emissions, reviewed every five years. The
targets should be "realistic" it says, with negotiators' focus
better expended on the architecture of an equitable deal than its
ultimate goals.
RTCC
Climate and energy comment
We Have Five Years to Stop Building Coal Plants
and Gas-Powered Cars
Vice looks at research that argues annual greenhouse gas
emissions are a poor way of working out the impact humans will have
on the climate. Politicians should instead pay attention to the
amount of carbon dioxide their policies are committing the world
to, known as carbon commitments. The researchers calculate that
current policies commit the world to locking in 1,000 gigatonnes of
carbon dioxide by 2018. That's the same amount the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the world can emit
if it's going to have a good chance of curbing warming to two
degrees above pre-industrial levels. Vice's conclusion? It means
that by 2018, "no new cars, homes, schools, factories, or
electrical power plants should be built anywhere in the world, ever
again, unless they're either replacements for old ones or carbon
neutral".
Vice Motherboard
Arctic drilling is inevitable: if we don't find
oil in the ice, then Russia will
Energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie estimates the Arctic holds
the equivalent of 166 billion barrels of oil. That makes it the
industry's "next great frontier", the Telegraph says. Despite the
risks of drilling in such extreme conditions, companies believe
growing fossil fuel demand makes exploring the Arctic worthwhile,
Wood Mackenzie says. It claims the Arctic is expected to play a
major role in supplying the world's future energy needs by 2030,
with a number of countries - most prominently Russia - poised to
test the region's promise.
Telegraph
What exactly is a brown-out - and is Britain going
to have them?
The Guardian takes an irreverent look at the prospect of
National Grid reducing voltage to ration electricity supplies,
known as a brown out. The unexpected closure of four EDF-operated
nuclear reactors has led National Grid to explore emergency options
for keeping the lights on when demand peaks in winter. Do say,
"Look darling, the lights have dimmed! I'll open some champagne,
and we can spend a romantic evening in"; Don't say, "The Sky box
hasn't recorded Game of Thrones. This relationship is doomed", the
Guardian advises.
Guardian
What Does Climate Adaptation Actually Look Like?
Check Out This Awesome New Infographic Series from
Cambridge
The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability
Leadership (CISL) has released a series of eye-catching
infographics outlining how the world may need to adapt to climate
change. The series summarises the likely impacts of climate change
on agriculture, buildings, cities, defence, employment, energy,
investment, fisheries, primary industries, tourism, and
transportation. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's
(IPCC) chief, Rajendra Pachauri, has endorsed the work. "Spelling
out the implications of climate change for different sectors, on
the basis of the work of the IPCC, will allow businesses to adapt
to the challenges they face and understand the role they are able
to play in reducing their climate impact", he said.
DeSmogBlog
New climate science
Greenhouse Gas Emission Estimates of U.S. Dietary
Choices and Food Loss
Following the government's dietary advice would cause an
increase in greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study. The
research looked at federal dietary recommendations and found that
if calorie intake remained the same, food-related greenhouse gas
emissions would rise by 12 per cent. The study also analysed
America's food waste and found that annual emissions from uneaten
food are equivalent to adding 33 million cars to the nation's
road.
Journal of Industrial Ecology
Conservation implications of omitting
narrow-ranging taxa from species distribution models, now and in
the future
Rare species are being overlooked in climate change studies
because their numbers are too small to be included in models. Using
African amphibians as a test, scientists found that over 90 per
cent of the species listed as 'endangered' are omitted by the most
popular species distribution tools. The study finds that unless
more appropriate methods are used, many rare species will not be
considered in conservation plans.
Diversity and Distributions